Composting

All summer I have been collecting my kitchen scraps in a bucket on my back patio. My goal is to make a compost pile someday... when I have some open soil to build on! Everything is overtaken with green things at the moment. (I wouldn't mind tilling up some grass, but I don't think my landlord would appreciate that.)

I've never built a compost pile of my own, but I've learned a lot about it in classes and books. Here's some helpful quotes for beginners from my Sunset Western Garden book:

"Composting is a natural process that converts raw organic materials into a valuable soil conditioner you can use to improve a soil's texture, boost it's nutrient content, and make it more water retentive.

You'll need approximately equal amounts by volume of brown matter and green matter. Brown matter is high in carbon and includes dry leaves, hay, sawdust, straw, wood chips, and woody prunings. (Lauren's note: I have also heard of people using shredded paper or newspaper for this.) Green matter is high in nitrogen; it includes grass clippings, fruit and vegetable scraps, crushed eggshells, and manure. The compost will heat up faster if you collect all the ingredients in advance and assemble the pile all at once."

Basic steps:

1. Chop materials - ideally no larger than 2"

2. Build the pile - Spread a 4-8 inch layer of brown material in an area at least 3 feet square. Add a layer of green material 2-8 inches deep. Add another layer of brown and sprinkle with water. Keep adding layers until is reaches a height of 3 feet.

3. Turn the pile - Add oxygen to the pile by turning weekly to speed the decomposition process. If it is dried out, add water. If it is rotten smelling, add more dry brown material and turn.

4. Keep at it until the pile is dark and crumbly compost. Mix it into your planting beds for the next growing season!

So my goal is to clear out some space in the next month or so and start adding dry leaves (my tree is already dropping!) to the kitchen scraps. I don't know if I'll have enough for the cubic yard they suggest above (3 ft. by 3 ft.) but I'll give it a whirl!